Stumbling Stones

The AJR is delighted to announce that we are sponsoring the screening of Stumbling Stones, which forms part of this year's Jewish Film Festival.

The two screenings will be on Tuesday 11 November at the Goethe Institut and the following night, Wednesday 12 November, at the Odeon Swiss Cottage.

A synopsis of the film, written and directed by Dörte Franke and known in German as Stolpersteine, follows:

Is there a right way to remember victims of the Holocaust? German artist Gunter Demnig thinks so, putting his own beautifully simple concept into practice by installing 12,000 'stumbling stones' in pavements across Germany and Austria: the world's largest decentralised memorial. Each stone features a brass plate with the details of the deported person who once lived there, a potent reminder to passers-by never to forget. Embarking on a road trip with this irrepressible character, Dörte Franke travels from Berlin to Vienna to Budapest, recording reactions to Gunter's work.

Controversy is never far away. Neo-Nazis campaign, while attempts to install stolpersteins in Munich were denounced by both the mayor and Jewish leaders in favour of a purpose-built museum, to the fury of one Manchester-based relative who wants a memorial to his parents where everyone will see it – not just Jews. Gunter's army of supporters is huge, yet he works tirelessly to retain artistic control of his mission to bring eradicated biographies back into everyday life.